The ASUS ROG Strix G15 (G513QY) Review: Embracing AMD's Advantage
by Brett Howse on May 31, 2021 11:00 PM ESTThe 1989 film Field of Dreams offers one of the most memorable quotes in movie history. “If you build it, he will come” was, of course, a reference to a baseball diamond in Iowa, but for AMD, this same quote (gender removed) also succeeds in defining AMD’s success over the last couple of generations. Once the realm of budget-conscious devices, AMD-based products are now the premium in the market and are sought after by consumers looking for the ultimate in performance. With the launch of the Zen 3 based Cezanne laptop processors, AMD now offers the most powerful laptop CPUs available. But that is only a single portion of a successful product. AMD is today announcing the launch of their latest graphics architecture, RDNA2, into the laptop market. AMD has built it. Now they must see who will come.
ASUS has partnered with AMD to launch a premium gaming laptop based on AMD’s Cezanne and RDNA2 solutions. The ASUS ROG Strix G15 AMD Advantage Edition (G513QY) offers the top-tier experience that AMD customers have been asking for, with a great design, and powerful internals. The ASUS Strix featured today is outfitted some with the very best that AMD has to offer, with the AMD Ryzen 5900HX processor, and AMD Radeon RX 6800M graphics. Zen 3 with RDNA2 is a potent combination. The Ryzen 5900HX is an eight-core, sixteen thread processor with a maximum boost frequency of 4.6 GHz, and a 45-Watt TDP. The Raden RX 6800M is AMD’s latest GPU architecture with 40 Compute Units, 12 GB of GDDR6, and up to 145 Watts. With 16 GB of DDR4 and a 512 GB SSD, this 15.6-inch device packs a lot of punch.
ASUS ROG Strix G15 AMD Advantage Edition (G513QY) |
|
Component | Strix G513QY |
CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX 8-Core 16-Thread 3.3-4.6 GHz Vega 8 / 2100MHz 45W TDP |
Discrete GPU | AMD Radeon RX 6800M 40 RDNA2 Compute Units 2300 MHz Game Clock 96 MB Infinity Cache 12GB GDDR6 |
Display | 15.6-inch 1920x1080 IPS 300Hz Refresh FreeSync sRGB Gamut Optional: 15.6-inch 2560x1440 IPS 165 Hz Refresh FreeSync P3-D65 Gamut |
RAM | 16GB DDR4-3200 Dual-Channel Upgradable Memory |
Storage | 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD 2 x M.2 (1 free) |
Network | MediaTek MT7921 Wi-Fi 6 2x2:2 802.11ax Realtek Gigabit Ethernet |
Left Side | 2 x USB 3 Type A Headset Jack |
Right Side | No Ports |
Back | Power Connector HDMI 2.0b USB Type-C w/100W PD USB 3 Type-A |
Battery | 90Wh Lithium Ion 280W AC Adapter |
Dimensions | 355 x 260 x 20.7 mm 14 x 10.2 x 0.81 inches |
MSRP | $1550 - $1700 |
AMD has certainly struggled in the past to land design wins in the premium end of the market, but with new products come new opportunities, and it appears that those days are behind them. The tight product integration of processor and graphics is certainly a benefit that their competition does not yet enjoy. AMD has never really captured much of the gaming laptop segment but is clearly aiming to remedy that with this launch. AMD says that the Radeon RX 6800M should be able to compete with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080L, which will put them in a much better light than the previous mid-range market they targeted before. Coupling that with their Cezanne platform makes for a very strong combination. It also explains their effort to add Wi-Fi to the mix as Intel uses that as a key component of their platform.
As a proper gaming system, the 1920x1080 IPS display offers a refresh rate of 300 Hz, and is coupled with AMD’s FreeSync variable refresh rate technology. There is Wi-Fi 6, courtesy of MediaTek, and for expansion, there are three USB Type-A ports, and a single Type-C on the rear, which can deliver up to 100 watts of power delivery. For video out, ASUS has gone with a single HDMI port as well as DisplayPort via USB-C, and of course there is a headset jack. What is missing though is a webcam of any sort, which is an odd omission in today’s remote world.
The ASUS ROG Strix G513QY packs into this 15.6-inch chassis, without the device seeming heavy or bulky, especially by gaming notebook standards. First up, let’s take look at the design.
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ads295 - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
What a great idea. I suppose you mean that one would have to charge the laptop before doing this and then have a super slow discharge on the 100W adaptor...Spunjji - Monday, June 7, 2021 - link
If you drop the details down a bit and/or set the frame cap close to the lower end of the variable refresh rate, I suspect you could probably even see some (very) slow charging and still get an experience that beats a GTX 1650. All hypothetical though, would love to see someone test this!GeoffreyA - Tuesday, June 8, 2021 - link
Interesting idea!Srikzquest - Tuesday, June 1, 2021 - link
I don't understand why there are no webcams with Asus + AMD laptops. This is a bad decision considering more and more companies are allowing remote work and most likely most people are going to use a single laptop for gaming/work/personal use.Srikzquest - Tuesday, June 1, 2021 - link
Also, though it's primarily a gaming laptop, 16:9 displays should go away for good. Industry pushed these displays on consumers, not that consumers wanted them.Zizy - Wednesday, June 2, 2021 - link
Well, which variable do you keep fixed?Width / screen diagonal? Yes, obviously the screen of 3:2 is greatly superior because it has extra vertical pixels. But most forger that you pay for that with a bigger and heavier laptop (also more expensive) - so, this is a tradeoff. A viable one, but not a clear "16:9 doesn't make sense". Add those extra vertical pixels and your 15" is about as large and heavy as a 17" one.
If you take screen area as the fixed variable, 3:2 means a better screen for work, worse for movies. And a smaller keyboard.
This isn't like standalone screens where all aspect ratios cost the same and don't have any negative side effects (once you set screen on your desk you don't tend to move it often)
m00bee - Tuesday, June 1, 2021 - link
well at least they include external webcam on my scar 15 AMD 5000 series + Nvidia 3070. The worst part is we can't disable optimus for laptop in 2021, but this laptop is always ready stock in my country, unlike the Lenovo, MSI, Omen (at least in my country).Fulljack - Tuesday, June 1, 2021 - link
all Asus gaming laptop doesn't have webcam anymore, now. both the that uses Intel or AMD CPU.Srikzquest - Tuesday, June 1, 2021 - link
The newly released Zephyrus m16 (Intel CPU) has a webcam and 16:10 display.Fulljack - Thursday, June 3, 2021 - link
a special case, then. but it's not solely AMD issue. as Asus gaming laptop with Intel chip doesn't sport webcam. except than one you mentioned or older model, that is.